If we are facing west, because we live in the country, and have no obstructions, it’s not that difficult just to turn round. 
In previous years, with guests staying in the gite, we’ve always put out loungers for them on a bank facing NE and as soon as it gets dark they have great fun shooting star gazing. It isn’t necessary to stay up so late.
Just for info, at the eastward end of the track - in the middle of the track- we have around at the most 100 seconds of totality - and though th eclipse ends 9.24, sunset is at 9 - 9.08 if standing just the right place.!
The loungers are a nice touch as looking up at those angles is tough on your neck.
Where we used to holiday for many years in Haute Saône we all used to lie on the tarmac road through the hamlet (all 7 houses) which was warm. The matriarch of the hamlet would sit in a chair and swore she saw more than the rest of us, which was a blatant lie as she was half blind and facing the wrong way. Happy days.
Not to toot our own horns…but…Phill has seen a total of 12 total solar eclipes and together we have seen nine. Next year we will be on a cruise ship that will be off the coast of Tunisia. We have travelled to some remarkable places to see them. The longest one was seen off the coast of Iwo Jima (2009), which was 6m39s; that trip took us to China, Korea and Japan. The best one we have seen to date was in 2010 sitting on an island beach in Tahiti (breakfast gin and orange drinks flowing). That one made me cry - it was so clear, you could see all the solar prominence going off and the view of the sun’s corona was so bright. That one was 5m2s. I have a travel spreadsheet out to 2045! Best to look on the bright side of life
A mini love story … One of my nieces was doing a line with a nice young man ..a Physicist and employed by the Irish Met Office … So they went off on holiday and he had previously planned to give her the ring …He had ensured they were at the place of totality and then the Ring appeared as the moon obscured the Sun as he proposed .He also gave her a small golden one for her finger…The image is spectacular …a phenomenal called the Ring of Fire
Probably means something innocent in Ireland 
I did a double take and then thought the same 
I had to think about it for a moment
This is the problem we’ll have too. At 7.6° above the horizon, due to a nice, nearly 800m asl tree-covered volcanic plug in the line of sight, we’ll probably get to see the beginning, but not the complete (or 96.4%), and not the end, where it is projected to be at 2° above the horizon. I suppose we might venture out to a higher elevation, but I was hoping to do the lazy man’s version of eclipse watching 
Buy a ladder? 
I think that information is not correct Chris. In my experience. Perseid meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and their streaks always point away from the radiant in Perseus
Courting … Language has so many meanings now ..that I recommend going onto Spotify and playing Eric Bogles Silly Slang Song ..nuff said.
There are several handy trees 
which are free, but OH not too keen on me tree-climbing these days, more’s the pity
Apologies for being unclear - yes the meteors can appear anywhere but your best chance of seeing them is to look towards the radiant point in Perseus.
Even using Rate 12 glass such as my welding mask, how many dangerous stuff can get through?
I have a few children tomorrow and currently making a few shoe box viewers for them. Necessary or are welding masks ok?
Welding masks are NOT usually OK. Get some proper eclipse gasses from your optician.
At least 14 ! 